


The Past Can Come Back

by Tivaholic



Category: NCIS, tiva - Fandom
Genre: F/M, NCIS - Freeform, TIVA - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:21:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24442780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tivaholic/pseuds/Tivaholic
Summary: Ziva's past surprises her.
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter One

Ziva David walked into the bullpen at a late hour. Gibbs was going to kill her. For once she overslept. But that was only the beginning of her day. Her heater broke mid-shower, she didn’t have coffee, and she didn’t sleep during the night. Her thoughts keeping her awake. 

She moved behind her desk and sat down, turning on her computer and getting signed in. Tony and McGee were looking at her strangely, but she really didn’t care this morning. All she wanted to do was go back home and be alone. Gibbs strolled into the bullpen with a coffee in his hand. She could only stare at the cup, wanting that extra boost to get her going. 

“You’re late.” He said as he went to his desk.

“Won’t happen again, Gibbs.” She was normally good with this kind of thing. She was trained that way. Trained to be up at 5 and work until whatever hour of the day without question. But now, she couldn’t even hit the enter key on her keyboard without dropping her head a little. She was exhausted. Recently, she hasn’t slept, but last night was the cherry on top causing her body to want to shut down completely and just sleep for a week. 

“Grab your gear, got a dead marine in Virginia.” He made his way to the elevator.

“On your six, boss,” Tony shouted, not taking his eyes away from Ziva. Something was definitely up with her. Something he couldn’t quite place. But when could he place what was up with her? 

They made their way to the elevator, Ziva doing her best to not rest her head against the elevator wall. She noticed Tony staring at her, trying to communicate with his eyes. Asking “are you okay?”. She stared back and eventually nodded her head, yes, she was fine. Or at least as fine as she could be in that moment. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the team made their way to the house, they noticed an ambulance at the scene. Gibbs made his way over to the door when he was stopped by an officer. Gibbs showed him his badge and they were let in. Ducky and Jimmy weren’t far behind them. 

“What’s going on?” McGee asked one of the paramedics.

“There were two civilians in the basement. Held captive for who knows how long.” 

“Do you know who they are?” The paramedic shook his head no. The rest of the team made it over to the civilians when Ziva stopped in her tracks. One of the captives looked up at the four new people in the room and went wide eyes.

“Zivaleh!” She yelled out, which caused the other captive to raise her head. Ziva gasped. 

“Tali? Ima?” She was rooted to the floor. The other three agents looked from Ziva to the two women crowded by paramedics. Ziva ran over to them and hugged them tightly. Not ever wanting to let go. She was wide awake now. 

“איך אתה עדיין חי? מיעשה לך את זה?” Ziva asked the youngest of the two. (“How are you still alive? Who did this to you?”)

“אנחנו כאן כבר שנים, זיוה. בתקווה שאבא יבוא ויציל אותנו. או אתה או ארי. זה אחד מאויביו של אבא.” The girl responded. (“We've been here for years, Ziva. Hope Dad comes and saves us. Either you or Ari. It's one of Dad's enemies.”) Ziva grasped at the woman tighter, careful to not hurt her any further. She wouldn’t tell her that Ari and Abba were both dead. At least not yet. She looked over at the other woman and moved to her. 

“Ima?” She spoke quietly. Still not believing that this was real. The woman looked up at her with tears in her eyes, seeing as she couldn’t believe it either.

“הו, ילדתי! הגעת.” The woman dropped her head to Ziva’s shoulder. Weeping as she realized who she was speaking to. (“Oh, my child! You have come.”) 

The three men could only watch in awe as Ziva interacting with these two women. It clicked for Tony. The name Tali ringing through his head from one of his first meetings with Ziva. Her sister. The one that supposedly died in a Hamas suicide bombing. The other word “Ima” took a little longer, but soon he realized it meant mother, mom. They were Ziva’s family. The ones thought to be dead. 

Ziva got up and made her way back over to Tony, Gibbs, and McGee.

“Gibbs. They need help, they have injuries on most of their bodies.” She looked back at the two women 

“Who are they, Ziva?” Gibbs spoke. Ziva smiled sadly.

“My mother and my sister.” This time when Ziva walked over to her family, Tony went with her, she didn’t mind. They squatted down next to them. The two women inspecting Tony closely terrified he might try something.

“זיוה, מי האיש הזה?” The older of the two spoke. (“Ziva, who is this man?”) Tony concluded this was Ziva’s mother. If you put them side by side they were practically identical. Ziva looked from her mother to Tony. 

“אימא, זה הסוכן המיוחד אנתוני דינוזו, הוא חבר. הוא לא יפגע בך, וגם לא בשני האחרים. אני מבטיח.” Ziva spoke in a kind and quiet voice, wouldn’t you after finding a long lost family member, let alone two. (“Mom, this is special agent Anthony DiNozzo, he's a friend. He won't hurt you, and neither will the other two. I promise.”)

The woman nodded at her words.

“Gibbs, Tony, Tim. This is my mother, Rivka, and my younger sister, Tali.” Hearing her name, Tali went to clutch her sister’s arm. Preventing Ziva from moving as if Ziva would leave her. Would leave them.

“אני לא הולך לשום מקום, אחות תינוק. אני מבטיח.” Ziva reassured her. There was nowhere in the world that would make her leave them. (“I'm not going anywhere, baby sister. I promise.”)

The paramedics came in with their stretchers and moved them to the ambulance. Ziva wanted to get into the back but they wouldn’t let her. Something about not enough room. So Ziva reluctantly let them take them. She got behind the wheel of the company charger, barely waiting for the rest of the team to join her before stepping on the gas and following the ambulance.

She was not letting them out of her sight.


	2. Chapter Two

Ziva was impatiently waiting outside her mother and sister’s hospital room. She convinced the staff to put them in the same room, seeing as they both wanted to see her and she wanted to see them. After all these years, they were alive. Were so close but yet so far. 

‘One of Abba’s enemies. That is a very long list.’ A doctor came up to her and allowed her to enter the room. She hurried through the door seeing her mother and her sister lying in hospital beds was one of the hardest things she had ever had to look at. But she would much rather look at them in a hospital bed than in a coffin. She moved over to where she was sitting in the middle of both beds, her mother's hand in her left and her sister's hand in her right. 

Rivka turned to her, clasping her hand tighter. She had tears in her eyes as she laid eyes on her oldest daughter.

“הבת היפה שלי. אתה הגעת.” Her mother had tears falling down her face, something that was happening on Ziva’s face. The emotion in the room was almost unbearable. (My beautiful daughter. You have arrived.) 

“מי עשה לך את זה, אימא?” (Who did this to you, Mama?)

“אני לא יודע, ילדתי. כל מה שאני יודע הוא שהוא היה אדם רשע, ושנא את אבא שלך.” (I don't know, my child. All I know is that he was a wicked man, and hated your father.) 

“אני הולך להשיג את החברים שלי. הם ישאלו שאלות. אתה יכול לסמוך עליהם. אני סומכת עליהם בחיי.” (I'm going to get my friends. They will ask questions. You can count on them. I trust them in my life.) Rivka nodded at her eldest child. Someone she never thought she was going to see again. She heard she was now an American citizen by their captor, he would always torment them about how he was going to kill her or bring her there to torture her too. 

Ziva left the room, after promising to return, and made her way over to the team. Her other family. 

“My mother is awake, told her you had questions. That she could trust you.” Gibbs nodded.

“Do they speak English?’ 

“No, but I can translate for you. Tell you her replies. Tali is still asleep, the nurse said that she will not wake for a few more hours. The damage was mostly done to her. We need to find this man, Gibbs.” Gibbs moved over, bringing her into a hug and planted a kiss atop her head. He knew this was difficult for her, to see her family alive after all these years and knowing that they were being tortured. He didn’t know what he would do if that was Shannon and Kelly. 

“McGee and I are going back to the Navy Yard. DiNozzo go with her. Ask questions and stay, make sure nobody gets in that room without a legitimate ID.”

“Yes, boss.” Tony and Ziva made their way back to the room. Ziva could see Rivka stiffen until she saw that it was Ziva. 

“אימא, אתה זוכר את טוני מקודם? הוא הולך לשאול כמה שאלות.” (Mama, do you remember Tony from earlier? He's going to ask some questions.) Rivka nodded, extending her hand for Ziva to take. Ziva accepted it gratefully. 

“Ask your questions, Tony.” He nodded.

“Ask her if she ever saw the face of the man. We have the dead marine in autopsy. We need to see if it’s the same man.” Ziva nodded.

“האם ראית אי פעם את פניו של האיש?” (Have you ever seen the man's face?) Rivka shook her head, that yes, she had seen the man that kept them in that hell hole.

“איך הוא נראה?” (What does he look like?) 

“שיער חום, עיניים חומות כהות, יש צלקת על לחיו השמאלית. אל תתקרב לשום מקום ליד אותו האיש, זיוה. הוא עושה רק דברים רעים.” (Brown hair, dark brown eyes, has a scar on his left cheek. Don't go anywhere near that man, Ziva. He only does bad things.) Ziva nodded her head. Wondering what this man could have done to her mother and to her sister. She was going to kill this man if he wasn’t already on their autopsy table. She had been captured, tortured, even raped. She didn’t want the same thing for her mother and her little sister.

“What did she say?” Tony cut in. To be honest she forgot he was there. Too busy thinking about how she would kill this man.

“She had seen his face. Brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a scar on his left cheek.” She whispered, looking at the fear in her mother’s eyes. 

“אל תתקרב לאיש הזה זיוואלה!” (Do not approach this man Zivaleh!) Her mother yelled. Terrified the daughter she finally got back would be taken away again by this evil man. 

“אני סוכן, אימא. אני אמצא אותו ואשים אותו מאחורי סורג ובריח בגלל פשעיו.” (I'm an agent, Mama. I'll find him and put him behind bars for his crimes.) Her mother shook her head, no, she was not going to let her. 

“What did you say?” Tony spoke.

“She is saying I am not allowed to approach this man. I told her I was an agent, that I could put him away for his crimes. She isn’t having it.” Tony laughed and Ziva looked funny at him.

“What?”

“Nothing, it's just she just reminds me of you and your stubbornness. You're definitely family. I also know you're not going to stop till you find who did this. Even if we take you off the case.”

“You are right, I will not quit. This person kept my family from me. Made me believe that they were dead. He will die.” Tony grabbed her hand, squeezing it. 

“Don’t pull another Bodnar. We do this one together. You hear me? All of us.” He didn’t want her running off and doing what she did the last time. They didn’t need another Parsons. 

Ziva nodded. She didn’t want another Parsons either. She then focused on their hands that were still intertwined. A tingly feeling running through, just like every other time he had touched her. She looked back up to her mother, noticing that she was staring at them with a smirk on her face.

“איך האיש הזה, זיוה? הוא לא רק חבר שלך.” (Who is this man, Ziva? He’s not just a friend.) Ziva took her hand from Tony’s, looking at her mother with wide eyes.

“What? What did she say?” Tony noticed her reaction, sensing something wasn’t right if Ziva would react in such a way.

“אימא, הוא בן זוגי. ב- NCIS.” (Mama, he’s my partner. At NCIS.)

“What did you say?” He wanted to know what got Ziva’s voice all shaky.

“She is asking who you are.”

“Well, tell her.” Ziva laughed. 

“What would you like me to say? Keep your mouth shut about sex or I will kill you.” 

“Aren’t you the one translating?” He chuckled. Ziva smirked at him.

“Tell her my name is Anthony DiNozzo Jr. I work at NCIS and you are my partner.” Ziva nodded.

“אימא, זה אנתוני דינוזו ג'וניור. הוא עובד ב- NCIS והוא בן זוגי.” (Mama, this is Anthony DiNozzo Jr. He works at NCIS and is my partner.)

“ג'וניור? אז האם יש בכיר?” (Junior? So is there a Senior?) Ziva lightly slapped her mother’s hand.

“Ima!” She shook her head, how could her mother say something like that. She would never say stuff like that before. Things have changed, everything about them has changed. 

“What is she saying?” 

“Nothing.”

“Ziva. You can’t lie.” Ziva sighed.

“She asked if there was Senior?” Tony barked a laugh, not believing what she said one bit. She was messing with him, for sure. When he saw Ziva’s face he realized she was serious.

“Really?” Ziva nodded, trying to hide her smile at how good it sounded for him to laugh.

“Do you have any other questions?” 

“Yeah. But there the more difficult ones.” His voice was soft, not wanting to ask any more questions, just wanted to keep laughing with Ziva and her mom. Ziva nodded, ready to hear the full story of why they were held captive in a basement.

“How long have they been there?”

“כמה זמן הוחזקת?” (How long have you been held?) She grasped her hand again. All she heard in the next few seconds was Tali’s heart rate monitor skyrocketing. She was shaking in her bed.

“Tali!” She rushed over, the doctors piled into the room and headed over to her, pushing her and Tony out of the room. Ziva fighting all the way out. She didn’t want to leave them. Tony held onto her and pulled her into the hallway, clutching him into his chest, hugging her. She started crying into his neck. She didn’t know what was going on. She needed to get back in there.

“She’s going to be okay.” Tony tried to soothe her but she wouldn’t believe it until she was in there, seeing her for herself.

“You do not know that.” She couldn’t lose them, especially not now that she’s gotten them back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to demand, lol, translations are now beside the text. Which is actually much smarter. Don't know what I was thinking. Silly me. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> Reviews are always welcome!


	3. Chapter Three

More and more doctors and nurses were running into the room. Tony was doing all that he could to keep Ziva close to his chest. She wanted, needed to be in there. He couldn’t blame her not one bit. It was her little sister, her mother was in there having to watch as this occurred. Not something a mother wants to see. 

She was fighting him tooth and nail, but he knew if she really wanted to get away from him, she could. Being the badass ninja that she was. He had texted McGee to tell him what was going and was told that he and Gibbs were on the way.

Eventually, a doctor came out, looking for Ziva. Ziva made eye contact with him and pushed Tony away from her, practically begging for some good news.

“Is she okay?” She was worried she would actually lose her sister. She just got her back, she didn’t even get to have a conversation with her. She had to be okay.

“She is fine. Just a mild scare with medications. We have switched her IV and are now giving her different medications. She is awake and is asking for you.” With that Ziva ran to the room, standing in the doorway to see her sister, with tears in her eyes, as she looked at Ziva. This was her baby sister. Her Tali. She ran over and lightly grabbed her into a hug.

“I have missed you.” 

“I missed you too, Ziva. That man said he was going to kill you. That Abba was gone and that you were next.” Tali grasped Ziva harder. Tony walked in to hear her speak and caught Ziva’s eye. She could see the question in his eyes.

“Tali was always very good at learning. She was able to speak English before I could. She actually taught me.” Tony nodded his head, heading over to a seat.

“מדוע הוא כאן?” (Why is he here?) Tali spoke in Hebrew since she didn’t know who Tony was. What his intentions were.

“You do not need to speak in Hebrew with these people Tali. Especially not Tony. He can be trusted. And he is in here so he can help us.” She spoke in the voice she always reserved for Tali. Tali nodded, if Ziva trusted this man, then she could too.

“Hi, Tali. I’m Tony DiNozzo, I work at NCIS with your sister. I need to ask you some questions.” Tali nodded, looking over at her mother, seeing her asleep. Wondering if she had woken up yet. 

“She was awake for about an hour, fell asleep when she knew you were okay. You had medication scare.” 

“I am sorry big sister.” Ziva shook her head.

“There is nothing to be sorry for. You are okay. That is all that matters.” Tali nodded and hugged her sister again. After so long of not seeing her, she was here, alive. She looked at Tony and nodded, signaling for him to ask his questions. He nodded back.

“I already asked your mom this but did you ever see your attacker?” Tali nodded.

“Yes. He had a scar on his left cheek. Evil eyes.” Tony nodded, seems there was only one person behind this. 

“He would come down every night and give us food. Normally rice and water. Before he would leave for work he would beat us. At the beginning, it was just for information on Abba. But when we heard of his death, he found other reasons for us. He ended up asking for information on you, Ziva. He wanted to kill all of us. But he wanted to wait until he had you too before killing us.” Tali rested her head down on Ziva’s shoulder. Ziva rubbed her arm, feeling small scars all around. Feeling a sense of remembrance. She has scars just like these. From knives to cigarettes, to anything else they could find just to inflict pain. Tony looked her in the eye and he could see that he was thinking about her time in Somalia too. Only she knew by the guilt in his eyes that he was thinking differently than she was.

“Was there anyone else that would visit?” Tali nodded.

“Yes. There was a Marine that was trying to help us escape. Said he would take care of us.” Ziva looked up at Tony again.

“Call Gibbs.” 

“He and McGee are already on their way. I called them when we were in the hallway.” Not wanting to say, “The Scare that you were going to die” with Tali focusing intently on him. Ziva nodded and turned back to her sister.

“Do you mind if ask what happened? When you were first taken?” Tali had unshed tears in her eyes. Nothing good could come from her answer.

“They would beat us at the beginning. Eventually, I convinced him to stop hurting Ima. That I would take double as long as she was left alone. I wanted to protect her.” Ziva now had tears in her eyes. She was tortured for 3 months, she was tortured for almost 15 years. She wanted to help her, even when she knew that she was going to be just as stubborn as her. 

“He was against rape though. Which we are fortunate for.” Ziva sighed out of relief, thanking God that they weren’t violated. Tony looked at the both of them in sympathy. This was not an easy conversation to have.

At this moment, Gibbs and McGee walked into the room, quietly. Not knowing if they were asleep or awake. Seeing that Tali was awake and well, but Rivka was asleep, they moved to Tali’s bed sitting next to Tony.

“הם עם טוני? האם ניתן לסמוך עליהם גם?” (Are they with Tony? Can they be trusted too?) 

“כן, אחות קטנה. ניתן לסמוך עליהם. גיבס הוא כמו אבא בשבילי ומקגי כמו אח.” (Yes, little sister. They can be trusted. Gibbs is like a father to me and McGee like a brother.) Tali smirked, something she would always do when she was mischievous. 

“מה עם טוני?” (What about Tony?) Ziva’s eyes went wide again and she slapped Tali lightly on her shoulder. Was she awake when her mother said the same thing?

“Tali!” She yelled, which caused the boys to smile. They had never seen Ziva like this. But it was her sister.

“אין ביני לבין טוני שום דבר. אנחנו שותפים.” (There is nothing between me and Tony. We are partners.) Tali laughed at the face her sister was making. There was definitely something there. 

“We have a description of their captor. He has brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a scar on his left cheek. The marine that would found dead at the scene was trying to help them escape.” She turned towards Gibbs seeing him write the description in his notepad.

“Tali, is there anything else you remember?” Tony wanted to finish his questions so he could ask the fun questions. What Ziva was like as a child and teenager. She would never speak of those times, but he had a feeling that Tali would spill in a heartbeat just to get a rise out of her. Tali shook her head no. There was nothing else. 

“Thank you for your help Tali. We are going to head back to the Navy Yard to start a BOLO. We’re gonna get this guy.” McGee walked over and shook her head, while Gibbs just gave her a nod and a slight smirk. They walked out of the door with a small wave and were gone.

“Is he always like that?” Tony and Ziva smiled and nodded. That was their boss, the functional mute. 

“You get used to it. Now Tali, what was Ziva like back in the teenage years?” Ziva moved over and headslapped him, with enough force to send his head flying forward a little. Tali laughed at their interaction. 

This would be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Reviews are always welcome!


	4. Chapter Four

Tony was sitting in the chair on the right side of Tali’s bed. Ziva had fallen asleep next to her about 20 minutes ago. Rivka was still fast asleep. Probably the most decent sleep she’s had in years. Tali looked up from Ziva’s shoulder, awakening from her slumber. She saw Tony was still in the room and smiled at him. He waved at her. Tali moved Ziva to rest beside her, laying her head on the pillow. They hadn’t done this in years. Since she was a teenager. The last time she had seen Ziva was before she left for the IDF. They had stayed up late that night, just talking. Those were the memories that got her through the past few years.

“You are still here?” Tony nodded.

“To make sure nobody can get you from here. We haven’t caught your captor, so we are to assume that he’ll come back for you. I’m here to protect you. Even though Ziva’s here.” He laughed, a twinkle of adoration went through his eyes. Tali could see it. She smiled. This man was something besides a partner to her sister. 

“What is my sister to you, really? She is not just a partner. Not just a friend.” Tony looked up at the ceiling, considering telling her, but not wanting to risk it if Ziva happened to be awake. Eventually, he looked back at her with love in his eyes. The look her Abba gave her Ima when she was little. 

“You’re in love with her.” She stated. He looked up at her and nodded. Looking in Ziva’s direction to make sure she was still asleep.

“Why don’t you tell her?” Tony huffed a laugh.

“Our boss has a rule. Number 12. Never date a co-worker. We both respect him too much to break it.”

“Is she worth it?” Tony looked at Ziva again with a smile on his face.

“Absolutely.” Tali smiled. She could see in his facial expressions and his eyes that he meant it. That he really loved her. That he would do anything for her.

“Then tell her. I can tell she feels the same way.” A noise was made from the other bed. Rivka was waking up and saw Tony and Tali awake and talking.

“טלי, אתה בסדר?” (Tali, are you okay?)

“כן אימא, אני בסדר. לטוני כאן יש מצב.” (Yes Mama, I'm fine. Tony here has a situation.) Rivka laughed.

“האם זה קשור לזיו?” (Does it have anything to do with Ziva?) Tali laughed and smiled, which in turn caused Rivka to laugh too. Tony was confused. Were they talking about him? He thought he heard his name in the bunch of words but he couldn’t be sure. Rivka turned to him and gave him a wink. Yep, they were talking about him. He really needed to learn Hebrew. Maybe he could ask Ziva to teach him. Rivka turned back to Tali.

“הוא מאוהב בה.” (He’s in love with her.) Tali smiled and nodded. Rivka clapped her hands together. She knew it. The second she laid eyes on him and Ziva, she knew there was something more there. She could see in his eyes the way he looked at her. The way Eli used to look at her. 

“She knows. And she accepts you.” Tony looked at Rivka and shyly smiled. He had her mother’s approval. Even when Ziva didn’t know how he felt. So he replied in one of the only Hebrew phrases that he knew.

“תודה.” (Thank you.) Rivka and Tali both looked surprised.

“Don’t worry I don’t know much of anything after that.” Tali narrowed her eyes.

“What else do you know?” Tony looked down at his hands. He walked right into that one.

“She is asleep. Do not worry.” Tony laughed.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Ziva is that she’s still awake when she’s asleep. She was napping at the office once and I thought that it would be funny to throw a pen at her. She caught it in her sleep. Scared the hell out of me.” Tali laughed. That sounded like her sister. She remembered that she could never sneak up on her. Could never surprise her because she would see you coming, almost know what you were thinking. 

“That sounds like Ziva.” She turned and told Rivka what they had said and Rivka through her head back and laughed. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, what was she like when you last saw her?” Tali smiled.

“Full of life and energy. Which I could say the same for myself. She had just gotten accepted into the IDF, she was excited to start her training. The week before she was to leave, we stayed up all night and told stories, memories, and just held each other because we didn’t know how long we would be apart.” Tony smiled at Ziva’s sleeping frame. He always knew that she was a great big sister, but hearing stories from the little sister herself was something else.

“Sounds like you two had an unbreakable bond.” Tali nodded.

“We were always close. Ari wasn’t around most of the time, either working or with his mother.” Tony’s blood ran cold at the mention of Ari’s name. He hated that man, but he knew that he was still their brother and stepson. 

“Did she do anything reckless?” Tali nodded.

“We would vacation in Haifa. There were beaches and cliffs. When we would go to the beach she would jump off the cliff into the water. Scaring us all to death the first time. She would keep going higher and higher until our father told her that she wasn’t allowed to do it anymore. She still did it when he wasn’t looking.” Tony laughed. It didn’t surprise him all that much, she still did reckless stuff today. 

“She deserves to be happy. I think she could accomplish that with you.” 

“You think?” Tony wasn’t one to feel insecure but when it came to Ziva and his feelings, he couldn’t help but feel like he wasn’t enough.

“I know. You should tell her.” Tony nodded. He will, eventually, but not know, with her family in the hospital.

But he would tell her, he just needed some more courage to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter! I certainly enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Reviews are always welcome!
> 
> Thank you!


	5. Chapter Five

Tony was able to leave the room because Abby decided to pay a visit. He made his way down to the cafeteria, he needed some coffee. He had been awake for three days straight, he needed a boost. 

As he was getting his coffee, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Ziva standing next to him, wanting to get her own coffee. This was the only alone time that he’s had with her in almost a week.

‘Now’s your chance. Tell her. Don’t be a wuss. But her mom and sister are in the hospital, the ones she believed were dead for years. Now couldn’t possibly be the right time.’ Ziva looked up and him and looked him in the eye. She could only see adoration and concern in his eyes. She wouldn’t let him know that she was awake when he was talking to her mother and her sister. At least not yet.

“Are you okay?” He asked. Ziva nodded.

“I was so afraid that if I fell asleep when I would wake up this would all be a dream. That they weren’t alive.” Tony nodded, he understood that.

“You did end up falling asleep.” She nodded, trying not to convey she heard his conversation. 

“I think it was out of exhaustion. I haven’t been sleeping well this past week and then on top of that this happens.” She wouldn’t tell him about the nightmares, that would only make him ask questions.

For the past week, she had been having this recurring nightmare that she and Tony would be scoping out a warehouse, looking for a suspect when out of nowhere a shooter would appear and shoot Tony right in the chest. She hated those kinds of dreams. At one point she had thought it would become a reality when he showed up in Somalia to avenge her. He had done it believing her to be dead, yet he still risked his life. She was alive yet, he could have been killed. She hated those nightmares. She would rather dream of her torture than watch Tony get killed.

“Why haven’t you been sleeping? Are you having nightmares again?” He looked at her with concern. He knew about her nightmares from before. Knew how much they really affected her. He didn’t want her going through that again. 

She didn’t want to lie to him. Not anymore. This was the post elevator Tony and Ziva, the open book.

“Yes.” Was all she said as she looked down at the floor. 

“From Somalia?” 

“No. These are much worse.” She couldn’t meet his eyes, she didn’t want him to find out. She didn’t want him to think her to be weak.

“If you want to talk, I’ll be here.” Ziva looked up at him and smiled. He had always been there. He knew that if she didn’t want to talk then she wasn’t. No matter how hard you pushed her. 

“Thank you.” He smiled that smile that made her go weak in the knees.

“We should probably head back before Abby talks their ears off.” Ziva laughed as they made their way to the elevator to go back to their floor. 

“Thank you for staying here. I know that Tali and Ima enjoy your company.” Tony laughed.

“They're a fun bunch. Nice to talk to.” Ziva looked up at him, she opened her mouth and was about to say that she had heard him when the elevator doors opened to reveal their hallway. They both walked out and headed towards their room. As they made it to the doorway they saw that Rivka was asleep and Abby was talking to Tali, making her laugh.

“Hey! Tali has some great stories from when you were little, Zivaleh.” Abby laughed at the nickname that they used for her. Ziva rolled her eyes but she was smiling. She was happy to see that both of her families were getting along so well. They both meant so much to her. 

“Well, now that you two are back, I got a call from Gibbs that they have a suspect. I need to test the samples that they took from him. If he matches the ones we found in the house, I will call you.” Ziva nodded, looking at her sleeping mother and very talkative sister. She would need to talk to her about that.

“תפסיק לספר להם דברים מילדותי. לעולם לא אחיה את זה.” (Stop telling them things from my childhood, I will never live it down.) Tali laughed.

“מה קרה לא לדבר איתם עברית בחדר?” (What happened to not speaking Hebrew with them in the room?) 

“זה היה לפני שהתחלת לספר להם דברים מביכים.” (That was before you started telling them embarrassing things.) Tali laughed with Ziva eventually joining her. Abby and Tony could only watch as the sisters interacted. They smiled at how light Ziva was being. 

“I will see you later.” Abby waved and left the room to run her tests. They needed to find this man, especially since Rivka and Tali were terrified of him. 

“You need to teach me Hebrew.” Tony voiced to Ziva, which in turn made her smile her Mona Lisa smile. That smile got him through many things. When Jeanne left, when she stayed in Israel, when he heard that there were no survivors on the Damocles and then Somalia. 

“You know some.” She stated, yeah he did know some, but who wouldn’t want Ziva to teach them Hebrew. He also wanted to know what they were saying about him. 

“At lo Levad.” There were two reasons he would say it again. First for her to know that she wasn’t alone in this investigation, that they would help her catch the man that did this to her family. Second, was to let her know that he was always there for her, no matter what, it didn't even matter if it was 1 in the morning. If she needed him, he would be there in a heartbeat.

Ziva smiled at him, memorizing his features, something that has done a million times, but it never tired her. She could do it a million times more. 

“גם אתה.” (you too.) When he gave her his confused look, the one that he did when he didn’t understand something, something that she had seen a lot, she spoke in English.  
“You too.” They smiled at each other. 

‘You gotta tell him. He deserves to know.’ 

As they were smiling at each other, Tali was making a plan to get these two to admit to each other their feelings. She wanted her sister to be happy. This man made her happy. She would do anything for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little bit shorter, sorry for that. I have concluded that there will be only two more chapters, and the next one will be a case chapter. We need to find out who did this!   
> Hope you all enjoyed and thanks for reading!
> 
> Reviews are always welcome!


	6. Chapter Six

Ziva got a call around six that night, it was from Gibbs.

‘David.’

‘Abby tell you we got a suspect?’

‘Yes. Is it him? Does he match the information we got?’

‘Yeah. We got him in interrogation. Figured you would want to be the one to break him.’

‘I will be there in 20.’ She hung up the phone and looked at Tony who was watching her. She felt a buzz in her pocket from where she put her phone. It was a text from Abby.

‘I’m on my way to the hospital so Tony can go with you. McGee is with me.’ 

“What’s the situation?” Tony spoke up.

“Abby and McGee are on their way to watch them. There was a match to the suspect that they have in custody. I am to interrogate him. Abby is bringing McGee just in case you would want to tag along.” Tony nodded.

“I’m going. I also haven’t left this hospital in 3 days. I need a change of scenery.” Ziva laughed, they had been here every day since they arrived. They had showered in the room’s shower and Abby or McGee would bring them clean clothes from their apartments. 

As they waited, they packed up their things to make the room a little less messy. They had basically been living in this room, yet they didn’t want people to think they were slobs. 

When Abby and McGee entered the room, there were 2 guns trained on them. When Tony and Ziva realized it was them, they lowered their weapons.

“Are you ready to go?” Tony asked, lifting his bag over his shoulder. Ziva nodded her head doing the same thing with her bag.

“There’s a company car downstairs. We drove separately.” They both nodded. Ziva made her way over to her mother and placed a kiss to her head then moved over to do the same to Tali. It was a silent promise that she would return soon. 

They said their goodbyes to Abby and McGee and made their way out of the hospital. Tony knew that Ziva was determined to get to the Navy Yard so he let her drive, much to her surprise.

“You are actually voluntarily letting me drive, Tony?” Tony smiled and chuckled.

“We will get there faster and then we can come back. I know you don’t want to leave them, but I also know that you want to interrogate this man.” Ziva smiled at him.

‘Always considerate. That’s my Tony.’ They both got into the car and Ziva stepped on the gas and they were at the Navy Yard in less than 15 minutes. It was normally a 25-minute drive. 

They made their way into the observation room to see Gibbs waiting for them.

“What do we know?” Gibbs smirked, leave it to Ziva to be direct. After all, it did involve her family.

“Local LEO’s responded to our BOLO. They found him about 10 minutes away from the hospital at a gas station.” Ziva’s eyes narrowed at the man through the window. He matched the description perfectly, right down to the scar on the cheek. It didn’t help his case that he was near the same hospital that her mother and sister were currently residing in.

“Don’t kill him.” 

“No promises.” She walked out of the room and practically busted through the door to interrogation. The man looked up at her and smiled. He knew who she was. 

“Ziva David. How lovely it is to see you.” He was beyond calm and collected. He was borderline creepy. But this was Ziva, she had dealt with much worse than this dirtbag.

She put the file that Gibbs slipped to her on her way out onto the table and opened it.

“Paul Campbell. Arrested in ‘02 for burglary and again in ‘05 for assault with a deadly weapon. Seems you have a penchant for violence.” Campbell smiled at her accusations. 

“What can I say? It’s fun.” Ziva glared at the man across from her. This was a real scumbag. 

“Is it fun to torture innocent women in your basement?” He chuckled.

“More than fun. Powerful.” Ziva launched up and flipped the table to get it out of her way. She grabbed the man by his collar and slammed him against the wall. 

“This is not a joke. You will go away for life. That is if I don’t kill you.” Campbell laughed.

“You are soft now, Ziva. The Americans have changed you. Softened you. You will do no such thing.” Ziva smirked. She pulled out a knife from her waistband and brought it to rest against his neck.

“Try me.” The man’s eyes turned wide, the stories about Ziva were she was no longer an assassin, that she was a soft investigator. What he didn’t know was that ever since her father’s death, ever since she found out her mother and her sister were alive, that she had a vengeance that needed to be fulfilled. 

She pressed the knife a little bit deeper.

“Why did you take them? They knew nothing about my father’s work. They stayed away from it.” 

“I will never tell you my reasoning. All you need to know is that I would do it all over again. And how nice it was to hear their screams whenever I would…” Ziva dropped the knife and punched him in the gut, sending another punch to his jaw. He just confessed. He was the one that made her believe them to be dead. He was the one to hurt them for years upon years. He deserved to die. Tony’s words rang through her head.  
‘Don’t pull another Bodnar. We do this one together. You hear me? All of us.’ She landed a final punch to his jaw, causing him to be knocked unconscious. Tony and Gibbs made their way into the room, looking at the man now on the ground, eyes closed.

“Get him out of here before I regret not slicing his throat.” Tony grabbed her hand and gently pulled her out of the room, letting Gibbs handle the scumbag in the room. He pulled her to the elevator. As they made their way up, he pulled the emergency switch, turned to her, and pulled her into a hug. Ziva melted into his embrace, the one thing she really needed in this moment. 

“You did good.” His voice was soft and gentle, caring, and loving. She smiled. She looked up and put her hands on both sides of his face, looking him in the eye.

“Thank you. For everything.” He smiled and nodded. 

‘Tell her, do it. NOW!’ 

“Ziva...I….” His sentence was cut off as her phone began to ring. She looked away annoyed at the object for interrupting their moment. She pulled the offending object from her pocket and looked at the caller I.D., it was Abby.

‘Is everything okay, Abby?’

‘Yeah, everything is perfect! Your sister is hilarious, so is your mom. They’re telling me stories on little baby Ziva. Haha. Is everything okay there?’

Ziva rolled her eyes. What happened to not telling them about her childhood?

‘The interrogation is done. He was our guy. He is going away for a very long time.’

‘So I assume he’s still alive?’ 

‘I wish that he wasn’t but I am a better person than I once was. He is going away for his crimes and he is not going to harm them anymore. That is all that matters.’

‘Absolutely Ziva! Just remember we love you and we are here for you if you need us. Are you going to be headed back to the hospital? The doctors have come in to inform us that they can be released.’

‘Yes. We will be there soon. Thank you, Abby.’

‘Anytime, sister.’ With that Abby hung up. Tears started to pull in Ziva’s eyes as she smiled. They really were her family, no matter what they were put through, they were always there for each other. And they always will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! The next one will be the final one! Hope you all enjoyed!
> 
> Reviews are always welcome!


	7. Chapter Seven

Tony and Ziva were just arriving at the hospital when they got a call from Gibbs telling them that Rivka and Tali were now safe and that Campbell was going away for good. They made their way to the room where Rivka and Tali were and saw McGee standing guard outside the door.

They walked over to him.

“How did the interrogation go?” He was looking between the two of them, they seemed fine and Ziva didn’t have any blood on her, except for what looked like a little on her knuckles.

“He’s not dead, so that’s a good thing. Our ninja here knocked him unconscious though.” Tony was laughing at the image he had in his head. Watching Ziva interrogate and break the guy was very entertaining, and kind of a turn on. McGee smiled at Ziva, she shrugged her shoulder with a “He had it coming” look in her eyes and they made their way into the room. Abby was teaching Tali how to play poker with makeshift cards and candy from the vending machine. Rivka was watching intently from her bed.

Abby jumped up and ran over to them, pulling them into a hug.

“Now that this is over, what happens now?” Ziva looked at Tali and her mother.

“אתה חוזר לארץ או שאתה נשאר כאן? באמריקה?” (Are you going back to Israel or are you staying here? In America.) Tali looked over at her mother. She didn’t want to leave her sister, they had had this conversation during captivity. They always said if they made it out alive that they would stay in America where there was less violence. When Ziva was asleep one night they both said that they wanted to stay here, with her. Rivka called Ziva over to her. Ziva sat down next to her, gripping her hand tightly. 

“אנו רוצים להישאר באמריקה, איתך זיוואלה. בילינו הרבה זמן זה מזה. קיבלנו הזדמנות שנייה. אנחנו צריכים להשתמש בזה, ילדתי.” (We want to stay in America, with you Zivaleh. We spent a lot of time apart. We have been given a second chance. We have to use it, my child.) Ziva had tears in her eyes, they spilled over and Rivka wiped it off her cheek with her thumb.

“האם אתה בטוח? אני לא רוצה שתישאר כאן כי גם אתה מרגיש מחויב, אימא.” (Are you sure? I don’t want you to stay here because you feel obligated too, Ima.) Rivka shook her head. 

“זה מה שאנחנו רוצים לעשות. אנחנו רוצים להישאר כאן.” (This is what we wish to do. We want to stay here.) Ziva nodded and pulled her mother into a hug.   
Ziva laughed.

“אתה יודע שתצטרך ללמוד אנגלית נכון?” (You know you’re going to have to learn English right?) Rivka and Tali laughed along with her.

“Ziva,” Tali spoke. Ziva turned her head towards her little sister and moved over to her.

“האם טוני מדבר איטלקית?” (Does Tony speak Italian?) Ziva laughed.

“כן. הוא אמר לי שלמד את זה במכללה כשלא הספיק לשחק ספורט וישן עם המעודדות.” (Yes. He told me he learned it in College when he wasn't playing sports or sleeping with the cheerleaders.) Tali laughed. Tony looked their way seeing as he heard his name during their conversation.

“What did I say about talking about me in Hebrew?” He looked at Ziva and couldn’t help but smile at the joyous laugh that was spilling out of her mouth.

“Why do you ask, Tali?” Tali shrugged and looked Tony in the eye as she spoke in perfect Italian.

“Devi dirle come ti senti. La rendi felice. Ora che questo è finito, è il momento perfetto.” (You have to tell her how you feel. You make her happy. Now that this is over, it is the perfect time.) Tony looked at her, stunned. He looked over to Ziva to see if there was any indication that she understood what she said and responded.

“Lo farò molto presto. Lo prometto. Lei mi rende felice. Mi rende completa. La amo più di quanto chiunque in questa stanza sappia. Grazie per tutto quello che hai fatto per spingermi.” (I will do it very soon. I promise. She makes me happy. She makes me complete. I love her more than anyone in this room knows. Thanks for all you did to push me.) Tali nodded. McGee and Abby looked at Tony as he spoke. He spoke perfect Italian. A shiver went down her spine as she heard him speak this way. It was very attractive. But what her sister and he didn’t know was that she spoke Italian too. She was touched with what Tony had said. He loved her. He loved her as she loved him. 

“Ti amo anch'io.” (I love you too.) Tony looked up at her. Tali did too. Tony smiled wider than anybody had ever seen. 

“Really?” He was looking at her with a guarded expression. She knew how hard it was for him to love and let people enter the barriers and the wall that he has built around his heart.

“Always.” She smiled too. Tali squealed at the interaction. She had been spending too much time with Abby if she had been squealing. Tony moved over and cupped her face in his hands and pulled her closer so their lips were now touching. The kiss was soft and sweet, gentle yet passionate. They could both feel the love radiating through the kiss. McGee, Abby, Rivka, and Tali were staring and smiling at them. 

For a moment it was only them. It had always been just them. Just him for her and her for him. 

Ziva felt complete. Her mother and sister were alive and were staying in America with her and now she had the love of her life in her arms. When they pulled back, Tony said in English.

“I love you, Ziva.” Ziva smiled, pulling him closer.

“I love you, too.” 

All was right in the world. She had never felt more loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of this fic!!! I have absolutely enjoyed writing this. During this fic, I tried something new. Hint the Hebrew and eventually the Italian at the end. I actually really enjoyed doing it but it was kinda nerve-racking. I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you for reading!
> 
> Reviews are always welcome.

**Author's Note:**

> So the first try for this fic I put the translations at the bottom. Got from many people that it was difficult to read with scrolling down and back up again. Hopefully, this fixes things.
> 
> Chapter One of a possibly 7-10 chapter fic! Hope you enjoyed this first little bit!
> 
> Reviews are always welcome.


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